Rivet punch



June 22 1926.

W. J. HEYL RIVET PUNCH Filed May 5, 1924 Patented June 22, 1926.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

WILLIAM J. HEYL, or CLAIETON, PENNSYLVANIA.

BIVET Application filed May 5,

My invention consists of an improved machine for the purpose of punching and inserting rivet-s in the ends of connecting metallic strips, for rivet connection with sheet metal or other members in building construction and similar operations.

Ordinarily, the strips of thin sheet metal are cut to length, and rivets are punched thereinto by driving them through the metal by a hammer over a nut or other hollow bearing, ready for application and attachment by riveting to the structural member, in the manner commonly employed.

The present invention is generally similar to that of my prior application filed March 31, 1923, Serial No. 703,188. It has in view to provide means for the same general purpose, utilizing a lever actuated punching plunger" and bending plate, operable upwardly from below toward a relatively stationary co-acting die adapted to receive the end of the blank, together with means for automatically feeding the rivets :by gravity in a continuous row, and various other features'of construction and operation as hereinafter described.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a face view of the machine infront elevation, partly broken away, showing the plunger partly raised;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on the line II-II of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partial similar view, showing the punching sic and plate in elevated position;

Fig. at is a sectional plan view, enlarged, on the line IV-IV of Fig. l;

Fig. 5 and Fig. 6 are sectional detail views showing the vertically acting plunger in lowered and partly raised positions respectively, and in operative relation to the next succeeding rivet;

Fig. 7 is a horizontal sectional detail view on the line VII VII of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a cross section, enlarged, through the rivet chute, on the line VIII-VIII of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the receiving end of the rivet chute;

Fig. 10 is a sectional detail view, partly on the line XX of Fig. 4, showing the plunger lowered. V

The supporting frame of the machine consists of a base 2 which mayconveniently be in cast form adaptedfor fastening against a foundation or'supporting base of PUNCH.

1924 Serial No. 711,186.

timber, etc, by nails or screws through openings 3. Blocks at and 5 respectively are secured to the base 2 by bolts 6, or may be integral therewith, as desired, and provide an upper punching die and a lower plunger and plate bearing, respectively, in vertical ahnement, for operation upon the end of the blank 5. The punch baror plunger 7 which 1s preferably cylindrical, is reciprocably mounted in a cylinder bearing 8 of block 5, in central alinement with the punching hole 10 of block 4, which hole extends through the bottom thereof and into the upper enlarged cavity 11. Said cavity provides for clearance-of the cuttings, the front bottom portion of the-opening being in clined downwardly beyond punching hole 10, as indicated at 12 for discharge of the waste cuttings.

For the'purpose of actuating plunger 7, I provide an operating lever 9, pivotally mounted onbase 2 by bolt 13, having an outer handle terminal 1 1- and an inner comparatively short lever portion 15. The

upper portion of leverextension 15 is preferably rounded, as at 16, bears against the lower end of plunger 7, as in Fig. 2, and is I adapted to impartto the plunger sufficient upward movement when the lever is operated to effect upward punching movement of the rivet a, through the end of blank 12. and through punch hole 10, as in Fig. 3. I

For the purpose of'providing a front bendingelernent against which the blank 5 may be bent downwardly at the desired angle, as indicated .in dotted lines, 3, I provide a slidably movable plate 17 mounted in the recessed central face of block 5, between the inner edges 18.1S thereof and partlyv covered orenclosed by the heads of bolts 6. The upper terminal edge of plate 17 is slightly tapered as at 19, providing anarrow blunt bending edge for the blank. The lower edge of the plate tapers inwardly and terminates in a bearing terminal 20, which rests upon a lug or abutment 21 secured to the face of lever termi nal 15 inany suitable way, by a holding bolt 22. The upper face of abutment 21.is tapered, as shown in Fig. 1, so that, when the plunger and plate are elevated, bringing the plunger and rivet to'the limit of their .upwardinovement with the rivet inserted in the clip, the plate will rest flatly against the upper surface of :the abutment, and its edge is in proper bearing engagement ill) against the'clip for bending. "When lowered, the plate rests against the upper corner portion of the abutment, but when raised, it bears across thelat tapered face, and thus is solidly supported under the strain of bending. Abutment 21 may, however, be of any other suitable form adapted to provide a good solid bearing for the plate.

For the purpose of automatically feeding the rivets a one 'by one successively'to operative position over the upper end of plunger 7, Lprovide an inclined chute'23 having a curved-steep; portion o-an-d a somewhat ilatter portion (l extendingoutwardly to 3 any desirecb-extcnt and terminating in a flared insertion opening 2a. The chute ns thus in-aide eonsis'tsof the baseportion23 having the central longitudinal recess 25 adapted to receive theheads of-the inverted rivets and supplemental "side plates EEG-26 secured thereon by screws or the like, and

providing the narrow central opening '27 for Clearance of the upwardly extending shanks of the rivets.

The outer-section d and inner 'secti-onc merge into each otherand are connected together by and supported upon a-bracket 28 of the base'Q, as in Fig. 1. The lower portion ofthe'rivet chute, as thus made, curves inwardly and terminates substantially on a level with the upper; terminal of-plunger 7, as in Fig. 1-0, when the lever terminal 15 is lowered.

Theportion d of the chute constitutes a feeding reservoir, of any desired length, and with sufiicient gravitating SlOPG'lE'OlIlsure a constant supply of closely adjacent rivets-to the upper end of the steeper portion 0.

Such portion 1 '0 constitutes an easily sliding feedingextension of section d' to ensure a 'posltive supply of rivets to operative p0s1- tion over'the plunger, one by one. F or such purpose, its inclination is considerably steeperthan' section (Z at the upperportion, gradually flattening towards the delivery terminal, where the endmost rivet is positively-forced by the rear rivets outwardly frombetween the strips :26 and on to the top of plunger 7.

For the purpose of ensuring centering of the rivet over the plunger 7, the opposite wall portion of block 5 is rounded, asat 29, providing a substantially r semi cylindrical wall against which the edge'of rivet a will bear,-as PUSlTGCPClOW HWaIdly' and outwardly by the continuous- .gra'v i'tating row of rivets in the chute Curved'wall 29is preferably ofa radius slightly greater than that of the rivet head," and the inner edges of central recessed channel 25 'aline -with the outside edges of: such se ni 'circular por= 't'ion, ensuring the centralizing locationfiof the rivet over the plunger-and in alineinent with the punch hole 10.

Plunger 7 is maintained in its vertically eclprocable position and against turning by a guiding key or spline of stud 31 inserted through the back of block 5. Plunger '7 has a corresponding keyway engaging t'lie'lrey or spline 30 and of proper length to allow for the desired movement, with limiting engagement against the key on downvard travel. By this means, the

plunger --may fall until its upper end is ing the positive location of the rivet to be operated upon overthe top of the plunger and in central alinenient with the punching hole 10. Said'hole is slightly larger than the shank of the rivet, providing for ample clearance and any slight variation from exact central alinenient.

By such construction, the feed chute may be kept full or partly full of rivets, introduced at its outer end, the weight of which will positively feed the lower rivets downwardly and inwardly, one at a time, over the operatingplunger. "The upper block 4'lSfl'plOVldeCl with an insertion recess immediately underneath the punch hole and between the lateral shoulders 35-35 and the-bloek,'between which the strip I) may be inserted endwise against the front limiting face of block 2,as in Fig. 3. Thereupon, lever 9 is actuated, thrusting the plunger 7 upwardly, forcing the rivet through the blank, the rivet itself acting as the punch, the cutting passing outwardly through enlaug'ed opening 11. While in such position, with bending edge 19 of plate 17 immediately underneath the blank, the blank Z) may be bent downwardly over edge 19 at any desired angle, whereupon the lever is retracted and the blank withdrawn, and its other end inserted for a similar operation, as will be readily understood.

At each operation, an additional rivet is automatically placed in position over the plunger, as long as suflioient rivets are maintained in the guiding chute, sothat at each nianipul-a tion of the lever, one complete operation is performed.

It will be understood, of course, that any suitable A mechanical actuatlng mechanism they-be connect-ed with-lever 9, in place of hand operation, without otherwise affecting the operation. Also, that lever 9 may be located at the left side of the machine, if

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preferred, for which purpose, an additional bolt hole 36 is provided, for pivotal mounting by bolt 13.

The construction and operation of the in vention will be readily understood and appreciated from the foregoing description. The device is extremely simple, cheap and efficient, and is capable of rapid and continuous use. It may be modified or changed in detail construction by the skilled mechanic, but all such changes are to be understood as within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. A punching and rivet inserting machine consisting of an upper stationary punching die, a lower reciprocable plunger, a guiding housing therefor having a rivet centralizing abutment, means for delivering a rivet to operative position on the top of the plunger and against said abutment, a vertically movable bending plate in front of the punching die, and means for actuating the plunger and bending plate together.

2. In combination with a supporting base, a plunger bearing block having a horizontal rivet receiving opening and an oppositely arranged upwardly extending concaved bearing face, a reciprocable plunger provided with a beveled corner, a guiding key for the plunger, a co-acting vertically movable bending plate in front of said plunger, a laterally arranged inclined rivet feeding. chute consisting of an outer inclined portion, an abruptly steep middle portion and a short horizontal delivery portion leading to the receiving portion of the bearing block adapted to deliver rivets by gravity point upwardly against the block and over the plunger, an actuating plunger lever, and an upper die block having a registering punch hole for the rivet.

3. In combination with a supporting base, a plunger bearing block having a concaved abutment and a reciprocable plunger provided with a beveled corner, a guiding key for the plunger, a laterally arranged inclined rivet feeding chute adapted to deliver rive-ts by gravity point upwardly against the concaved abutment of the block and over the plunger, a reciprocable bending plate slidably mounted on the block, an actuating lever for simultaneously lifting the plunger and said plate, and an upper stationary die block on the base having a registering punch hole for the rivet and a blank receiving socket for insertion of a blank between the punch hole above and the plunger and bending plate below.

4. In combination with a supporting base having a fixedly mounted upper stationary punching die provided with a lower blank receiving recess, a lower plunger bearing block secured to the base having a half round bearing extension providing a limiting abutment, a reciprocable plunger in said bearing, an inclined rivet feeding chute leading into the plunger block opposite to said abutment, a reciprocable bending plate slidably mounted on the front of the plunger bearing block, and an operating lever for the plunger having a portion engaging the bending plate for imparting simultaneous upward movement to the plunger and bending plate.

5. In combination with a supporting base having a fixedly mounted upper stationary punching die provided with a lower blank receiving recess, a lower plunger bearing block secured to the base having a half round bearing extension providing a limiting abutment, a reciprocable plunger in said bearing, an inclined rivet feeding chute leading into the plungerblock opposite to said abutment, a reciprocable bending plate slidably mounted on the front of the plunger bearing block, and an operating lever for the plunger having a beveled abutment engaging the lower end of the bending plate for imparting upward movement to it simultaneously with upward movement of the plunger.

6. In combination with a supporting base having a fixedly mounted upper stationary punching die provided with a lower blank receiving recess, a lower plunger bearing block secured to the base having a half round bearing extension providing alimiting abutment, a reciprocable plunger in said bearing, an inclined rivet feeding chute leading into the plunger block opposite to said abutment, a reciprocable bending plate slidably mounted on the front of the plunger bearing block, and an operating lever for the plunger having a partly rounded terminal in registering engagement withits lower end and a laterally arranged abutment in register with the bending plate having a sloping face adapted to bear against the lower end of the bending plate when raised, whereby to support the bending plate in position with its lower edgeunderneath the blank at the time the plunger has forced a rivet through the blank while it is pressed upwardly against the die.

7. In combination with a supporting base having an upper fixedly attached punching die, a bearing block on the base having a. vertical plunger bearing cavity, a lateral rivet feeding chute at one side of the bearing cavity, a rounded limiting abutment forming an arresting terminal at the opposite side thereof, and a reciprocable plunger therein provided with a guiding and limiting keyway and key and having a beveled corner facing the feeding chute.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

WILJLIAM J. HEYL, 

